In space, nobody can hear you bid...

With the Space Shuttle program drawing to a close, and the spacecraft themselves being sold on to major museums, NASA is also offering the surplus stock of memorabilia associated with the missions.

They have decided to put the items on offer through an online eBay-style website. The Smithsonian's first lookat the items ends today.

Initially, such pieces will be available only to not-for-profit organisations such as museums and schools, so private collectors will have to wait, but some of the 2,500 items will no doubt reach the public markets one way or another.

"These are all things that NASA doesn't think we will need at the end of the shuttle program," NASA's Joel Kearns told Discovery News. "We're doing this ahead of time so all the decisions are settled when the space shuttle rolls down the runway for the last time."

Those who've been searching high and low for underwear with a built in cooling system might be in luck.